Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, November 13, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ruralism
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Regular VerbsAll English verbs are either regular or irregular, depending on how they are conjugated. The majority are regular verbs. What does this mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Siege of Sidney StreetHaving killed several London policemen during a botched robbery in 1910, the members of a politically motivated gang of burglars went into hiding. When their location was revealed to authorities, 200 men were sent to surround the building. This prompted a wild gunfight now known as the Siege of Sidney Street. Though outmanned, the gang members possessed superior weapons and were only overtaken when their building caught fire. Why was Winston Churchill criticized for his role in the siege? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Nevado del Ruiz Erupts in Colombia (1985)When ash began to fall on the Colombian town of Armero, local authorities assured residents that it was safe to stay put, despite geologists' warnings to the contrary. It had been more than 140 years since the last serious eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz, known to residents as "the Sleeping Lion." That night, a lahar—a massive flow of mud and debris—swept down the side of the erupting volcano, destroying Armero. It was the worst natural disaster in Columbian history. How many people were killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Robert Louis Stevenson (1850)Born in Scotland, Stevenson traveled frequently during his life, partly in search of better climates for his tuberculosis, which would eventually cause his death at age 44. In 1885, he published A Child's Garden of Verses, one of the most influential children's works of the 19th century. His immensely popular novels Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde were written over the course of just a few years. What is considered his unfinished masterpiece? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Of great riches there is no real use, except it be in the distribution.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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freak flag— Any unconventional, nonconformist, or uninhibited behavior, convictions, opinions, or lifestyle choices that are unique to an individual. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Frances Cabrini (2019)The first American citizen to be proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, Francesca Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was born in Italy. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1880, and went on to establish orphanages, schools, and hospitals in many American cities, as well as in Europe and South America. She was canonized on July 7, 1946. Her feast day is commemorated in many places, but particularly at Mother Cabrini High School in New York City, in whose chapel she is buried, and at every establishment of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inflammationpleuritis, pleurisy - Greek pleura, "side" or "rib," came to be used for the "inner lining of the chest; lungs," and pleuritis or pleurisy is the inflammation of this area. More... intertrigo - Inflammation caused by the rubbing of one area of skin on another. More... phlegm - Comes from Latin phlegma, "clammy moisture," and Greek phlegma, "inflammation." More... polio - An abbreviation of poliomyelitis, from Greek polios, "gray," and muelos, "marrow," meaning "inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord." More... | |